​Where did all the smell go?

Posted by
Heidi Clark
on June 03, 2014

So you
consider yourself a candle addict. You have tried a few brands and you may have
even explored candles made from different types of wax. But have you ever
wondered why there can be such a vast difference in scent throw? Or, have you
ever opened a jar instore and been delighted with the fragrance, only to find
the aroma has mysteriously vanished somewhere on the journey home or after a
single burn?

There are
a few good reasons why soy candles have really taken off over the last decade
& I’ve outlined some of these
reasons here but what I want to share with you today is why soy candles
are better at fragrancing your home and why they offer the highest level of
scent-throw? It happens because of a production technique known as “cold-pouring.” This is a technique not available to the production of paraffin
wax candle and is what sets soy candles
apart from its competition in terms of a superior scent throw and cleaner burn.

Some quick
background first…..

Candle
making is both a science & an art, it’s not as simple as melting some wax,
adding in the fragrance then plonking a wick down the middle.

The obvious first
step in candle making is melting down the wax so the fragrance can be added. As
the wax is heated, it will eventually reach its melting point and turns from a
solid to a liquid. Before adding the fragrance it is vital that the wax is not
too hot or too cold.

What’s scientific about that I hear you ask? Well,
different waxes have different melting points. Where it gets tricky is
understanding at what temperature ABOVE the waxes melting point is the ideal
temperature for the next stage – adding the fragrance. Getting this
"mix" temperature right allows for a greater amount of fragrance to
bond with the wax, ensuring that its only released once lit. It also means an
even distribution of fragrance across all layers of the candle during its burn
life. Only something that can be fully understood with lots of testing and
experience.

Now onto the interesting
part…..

Just like
different wax types have different properties, each individual fragrance varies
from the next. Every
scent we offer has a different flashpoint. The flashpoint is
technically the temperature at which the fragrance turns to a gas and can
spontaneously ignite, but for candle makers the flashpoint is used as an
indicator to determine the ideal "mix" temperature.

Mix at higher temperatures and fragrance will actually evaporate and not bond with the wax

Unfortunately
for Paraffin wax candles they often use a "hot pour” technique
. The chemical properties of paraffin wax give it a higher melting
point of somewhere in the range of 55º-70º

Once the Paraffin wax is melted down it is either;

A lot closer to the fragrances flashpoint or worse;

Above
the fragrances flashpoint.

So, when
the fragrance is then mixed to a hotter parrafin wax, more of that delicious scent
evaporates and is lost to the atmosphere at candle maker’s
factory. Interestingly, some Parrafin candle makers using this hot poured technique will immediately
seal the candle, trapping some of the evaporated fragrance gas within the jar

Ever had the situation of opening a jar in a candle store and thinking “WOW I must have this”, only to take it home to find that most of the scent has mysteriously vanished on the car trip home or burnt off after a single use?

This is your reason why – it’s been hot poured, then sealed immediately at the factory. By the time its home you have lost a decent amount of the intended fragrance

Good news is - it’s different when working with soy wax. The soy wax
used by Bliss Candles has an amazingly low melting point of 43.9º. This allows
us to “cold pour”. Because of Soy’s low melting temperature we do not even get
close to reaching the fragrances flashpoint during pouring and our
"mix" temperature can be a lot lower. Because of this, more fragrance
is bonded within the wax, only to be released when that delicious pool of
molten soy wax is warmed by the gentle flicker of the flame.

So there you have it, the science behind the superior scent throw of
your soy candle and why it’s our fav!